METHOD AND DEVICE FOR DRIVING AUTOMOBILE AIR BAG

Abstract: The present invention relates in general to an automobile air bag for protecting passengers when the automobile collides with an obstacle and, more particularly, to method and device for driving such an automobile air bag. A device for driving an automobile air bag, capable of precisely detecting a collision impact caused by an automobile collision at a running speed exceeding a predetermined level causing an injury of a driver and drives the air bag, thus to protect the driver from getting injured in the automobile collision, and driving the air bag only when the collision impact caused by an automobile collision exceeds the predetermined level causing the injury of the driver, thus to prevent the air bag from being undesirably used and being uneconomically wasted. The device includes a main body (1) having an opposed pair of gas container receiving parts (18, 19) at its opposed side sections, an air bag receiving part (11) at its lower section, and an air bag driving unit receiving part at upper center, a movable balance wlight (3) included in said air bag driving unit and detecting an automobile collision impact, a locking roller (4) supporting and cooperating with said movable balance weight (3), and a pair of striking levers (5, 6) locked and released by said locking roller (4) and opening inlets of gas containers (8, 9) when they are released by said locking roller.

Description: METHOD AND DEVICE FOR DRIVING AUTOMOBILE AIR BAG Technical Field The present invention relates in general to an automobile air bag for protecting passengers when the automobile collides with an obstacle and, more particularly, to method and device for driving such an automobile air bag. Background Art Recently, automobile air bags are generally equipped in automobiles and rapidly blown up in the case of an automobile collision with an obstacle during running of the automobile, thus to protect a passenger, particularly, the driver from inertial collision with the car body including a steering wheel. The devices for driving the automobile air bag are conventionally classified, in accordance with their air bag driving types, into several types, that is, switch type driving devices, brake cooperating type driving devices and collision impact detecting type driving devices. In a switch type air bag driving device, the driver should determine whether a collision impact caused by an automobile collision causes his damage or not and should switch on an air bag driving switch in order to blow up the air bag. However, since there is no precesion in instantaneous determination of the collision impact level, this type of driving device can not achieve its desired function as a safety device of an automobile. A brake cooperating type air bag driving device cooperates with the braking operation of the automobile in its air bag driving operatio and, as a result, is apt to start its operation for blowing up the ai bag even in the case of a sudden stop of the automobile caused by n automobile collision. Therefore, use of this air bag driving devic is attended with an economical problem. In this regard, a collision impact detecting type air bag drivin device, which detects an impact strength caused by an automobil collision and automatically blows up the air bag, such as disclosed i Korean Utility Model Appln. No. 92-1656 applied by this applicant, i efficiently used. However, the collision impact detecting type device shoul precisely detects the impact strength in order to start its operatio for blowing up the air bag. That is, it has been noted that an automobile collision with a obstacle while running of the automobile at a high speed exceeding 4 Km/hour seriously hurts the driver. Hence, in order to protect th driver, the collision impact detecting type device is required t precisely detect the shock power caused by the automobile collision a a running speed exceeding 40 Km/hour. However, this type of air ba driving device may start its operation even when the automobile runin at a relatively lower speed not exceeding 40 Km/hour collides with a obstacle and causes no injury of the driver, thus to uneconomical l waste the air bag. Otherwise stated, the collision impact detecting type drivin device should precisely detect the collision impact in order to no only protect the driver from collision impact exceeding predetermined level but also prevent its operation when the collisio impact is less than the predetermined level, thus to economically us the expense air bag. However, the precise detecting of the collisio impact is nearly impossible and this causes uneconomical air ba driving operation even when the automobile collides with an obstacl while running at a relatively lower speed not exceeding 40 Km/hour. Disclosure of Invention It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide method and device for driving an automobile air bag in which th aforementioned problems can be overcome and which precisly detect collision impact caused by an automobile collision at a running spee exceeding a predetermined level causing an injury of a driver an drives the air bag, thus to protect the driver from getting injured i the automobile collision. It is another object of the present invention to provide a devic for driving an automobile air bag which drive the air bag only whe the collision impact caused by an automobile collision exceeds th predetermined level causing the injury of the driver, thus to preven the air bag from being undesirably used and being uneconomical l wasted. In accordance with one aspect, the present invention provides method for driving an automobile air bag comprising: means fo receiving therein pressurized gas containers at its opposed sides, a air bag at its lower section and an air bag driving unit at an uppe center; means for detecting a collision impact, said impact detectin means included in said air bag driving unit; means for cooperatin with and supporting said impact detecting means; locking means fo being locked and released by said cooperating and supporting means and means for opening inlets of said gas containers when said lockin means is released. In accordance with another aspect, the present invention provides device for driving an automobile air bag comprising: a main bod having an opposed pair of gas container receiving parts at its oppose side sections, an air bag receiving part at its lower section, and a air bag driving unit receiving part at upper center; a movable balanc weight included in said air bag driving unit and detecting a automobile collision impact; a locking roller supporting an cooperating with said movable balance weight; and a pair of strikin levers locked and released by said locking roller and opening inlet of gas containers when they are released by said locking roller. Brief Description of Drawings Other objects and aspects of the invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an automobile air bag driving device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a front view showing an inner construction of the air bag driving device of Fig. l; and Figs. 3 and 4 are sectional views of the air bag driving device of Fig. 1, showing operations of the device. Mode for Carrying Out the Invention With reference to Figs. 1 and 2, there is shown an automobile air bag driving device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The driving device includes a main body(l) of which the left and right sections are provided with a pair of gas containe receiving parts, that is, left and right receiving parts(18, 19), fo receiving their respective gas containers(8, 9) therein. The abov main body(l) further includes an air bag receiving part 11 at it lower section while including another receiving part(13) at its uppe center for receiving an air bag driving unit therein. In the driving unit receiving part 13 provided at the upper cente of the main body(l), a movable balance weight(4) is placed whil supported by an opposed pair of support shafts(31, 32). A lockin roller(4) is included in the receiving part(13) at a position unde the center of the movable balance weight(4). This locking roller(4 is guided by a guide protrusion(7) and includes a spring(45) at it lower section such that it supports and cooperates with the mavabl balance weight(3). An opposed pair of rollers(41, 42) are mounted on opposed sides o the locking roller(4) respectively. The above rollers(41, 42) releas a pair of striking levers(5, 6) from their locked positions. Th strikng levers(5, 6) are coiled with their respective coil springs(55 56) at their upper portions(53, 63), so that they are provided wit elastic rotating forces biasing them in the inward directions. The striking levers(5, 6) are mounted on their respective leve shafts(51, 62) and include their respective striking lower ends(52 62). The striking lower ends(52, 62) of the levers(5, 6) intend t strike targets(82, 92) of inlets(81, 91) of the left and right ga containers(8, 9) and to open the inlets(81, 91) respectively. Figs. 3 and 4 show operations of the air bag driving device of thi invention. In the drawings, the reference numeral 2 denotes a cover fo covering the air bag driving device. The operational effect of the above automobile air bag drivin device will be described in detail hereinbelow in conjunction wit Figs. 3 and 4. When an automobile equipped with the air bag driving device of thi invention collides with an obstacle while running at a constant hig speed not less than 40 Km/hour, the collision impact caused by th automobile collision will cause a serious injury of the driver and, a a result, the driving device starts its operation for blowing up th air bag and protecting the driver from the collision. In order t drive the air bag in the case of the above automobile collision, th automobile collision impact is detected by the movable balanc weight(3). That is, the movable balance weight(3) is inertiall pushed inwards at the same time of the automobile collision as show in Fig. 4. When the balance weight(3) is pushed inwards, the lockin roller(4) cooperating the the balance weight(3) is also pushed inward and releases the striking levers(5, 6) which have been locked. The releasing of the locked striking levers(5, 6) is precisel rapidly achieved by rolling of the pair of rollers(41, 42) of th locking roller(4). That is, the rollers(41, 42) start their rolling when they precisely locate the striking levers(5, 6) at predetermine positions, thus to precisly rapidly release the locked strikin levers(5, 6). On the other hand, when the automobile collides with an obstsacl while running at such relatively lower speed that the collision impac will cause no injury of the driver, the movable balance weight(3) i somewhat pushed inwards as shown in Fig. 3A due to the collisio impact, however, the locking roller(4) can not release the locke striking levers(5, 6) but continues the locked position of th levers(5, 6). In this case, the striking levers(5, 6) can not strik the targets(82, 92), thus to still continue the closed state of the inlets(81, 91) of the gas containers(8, 9) as shown in Fig. 4A. However, when the collision impact exceeds the predetermined level as described above, the movable balance weight(3) is pushed inwards and makes the locking roller(4) release the locked striking levers(5, 6). Hence, the striking levers(5, 6) always biased in inward rotational directions by their respective coil springs(51, 61) are rotated in the inward directions. During the inward rotation of the striking levers(5, 6), the striking lower ends(52, 62) of the striking levers(5, 6) strike the targets(82, 92) of the gas containers(8, 9) at the outside, thus to open the inlets(81, 91) of the gas containers(8, 9). Thereafter, the targets(82, 92) escape from the striking lower ends(52, 62) of the striking levers(5, 6) and elastically pushed outwards by their inner springs, thus to completely open the inlets(81, 91) of the gas containers(8, 9). When the gas containers(8, 9) are completely opoened, the pressurized gas of the containers(8, 9) is introduced into the air bag and blows up the air bag which is projected from the air bag receiving part(ll) and interposed between the front body of the driver and the steering wheel, thus to prevent and protect the driver from collision with the car body including the steering wheel. As described above, an automobile air bag driving device in accordance with the present invention precisely detects the collision impact caused by an automobile collision and drives the air bag only when the collision impact exceeds a predetermined level causing an injury of the driver, thus to not only protect the driver from the automobile collision but also prevent the air bag from bein undesiarbly uneconomically blown up when the collision shock is less than the predetermined level and causes no injury of the driver. A1thought the preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.

Claims: WHAT IS CLAIMED IS: 1. A method for driving an automobile air bag comprising: means for receiving therein pressurized gas containers(8, 9) at it opposed sides, an air bag(lθ) at its lower section and an air ba driving unit at an upper center; means for detecting a collision impact, said impact detecting mean included in said air bag driving unit; means for cooperating with and supporting said impact detectin means; locking means for being locked and released by said cooperating an supporting means; and means for opening inlets of said gas containers when said lockin means is released. 2. A device for driving an automobile air bag comprising: a main body(l) having an opposed pair of gas container receivin parts(18, 19) at its opposed side sections, an air bag receivin part(18, 19) at its lower section, and an air bag driving unit receiving part at upper center; a movable balance weight(3) included in said air bag driving uni and detecting an automobile collision impact; a locking roller(4) supporting and cooperating with said movabl balance weight(3); and a pair of striking levers(5, 6) locked and released by said lockin roller(4) and opening inlets(81, 91) of gas containers(8, 9) when the are released by said locking roller(4). 3. The device according to claim 2, wherein said movable balance weight(3) is integrally formed and releases said locking roller(4) while being guided along said support shaft in the case of an automobile collision. 4. The device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein said locking roIler(4) includes an opposed pair of rollers at its opposed sides for locking or releasing said striking levers(5, 6) respectively. 5. The device according to claim 2, wherein said locking roller(4) includes a spring at its lower section for elastically supporting said movable balance weight(3).

Inventors: NO DAE SUNG, NO, DAE, SUNG
Applicants: NO DAE SUNG, NO, DAE, SUNG
Application year: 1994
Main classification: B60R21
IPC codes: B60R21